Family Matters
by HatakeKaede-san
Summary: Just a little father/daughter moment between Rory and River because I can't get enough of the Ponds family dynamic and these two never seemed to get these moments on the actual show.


Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

A/N: Just a little father/daughter moment between Rory and River because I can't get enough of the Ponds family dynamic and these two never seemed to get these moments on the actual show. Written while listening to "The final chapter of Amelia Pond" from this weekend's Proms on a time loop.

**Family Matters**

"Well, I think I'm calling it a night," said Amy putting down her glass of wine with a contented expression on her face. Rory knew that face. It was the face that was reserved for nights like these. Nights when their daughter came around to visit and for once their timelines were more or less in sync and they didn't have to constantly worry about spoilers and slips of the tongue that could endanger the whole space and time continuum. Those were the rare occasions when they got to feel what it was like to be a normal family and it was at times like these that they got to forget all the heartbreaks that their family had to endure. Well as normal as it can get when your daughter was once the childhood friend with whom you grew up, when she's older than you at the moment and also happens to be married to your best friend, who happens to be a space and time travelling alien with two hearts. Oh and when said daughter also happens to share some alien genes as a result of a bit of an accident that involved a sentient alien spaceship. Rory still felt rather conflicted about the whole situation. To have to go through the pain of losing his daughter, finding her and then losing her again at Demon's Run had almost broken him. And his heart completely broke when he realised the truth of the kind of life that his daughter had to lead. And yet despite everything there was a part of him somewhere deep inside that would never change a single thing about it all. For he was immensely proud of the woman his daughter had become, of how far she had gone despite all the obstacles that life kept throwing her way. He though that the feeling of getting little Melody back at this point would be rather bittersweet because it would mean losing River and the father daughter relationship they had built together despite all of the wibbly-wobblyness of their lives.

He waited until Amy was gone before turning back to River observing the expression of her face. She had been happy and radiant all evening long, but there was something in her eyes that made Rory thoughtful. He had managed to pick some fatherly instinct along the way during River's numerous visits and ironically he thought also back when they were growing up with Mels. When he recalled his childhood memories of Mels these days it always struck him just how much similar Mels had been to River and he wondered why he had never picked up on it before. He returned to the present with his thoughts. There was something in River's eyes that let him know that something was bothering her and that she had acted cheerfully during the whole evening for the benefit of her parents more than anything else and especially for the benefit of her mother, who had always been especially radiant when River came to visit at times when all of them were at a point of their timelines when they all knew each other the best.

"Okay, come on spit it out, what's going on?" Rory asked her pointedly.

River tried to smile and opened her mouth as if to talk, but before she could begin Rory interrupted her: "and don't say it's nothing. I know you, River. Something's bothering you. Something's been bothering you all night long."

„One can never hide the truth from you, daddy dearest, right?" she teased him with one of her trademark smiles. She sighed before continuing: „Yesterday was my birthday, the Doctor came to visit and well some rather interesting things may have happened...," she continued with an expression on her face that Rory had dubbed the flirty face.

"Oh, God, please, don't finish that sentence, River," Rory screwed up his face in disgust.

River smirked before continuing: "Oh, don't worry, father dearest. That's not it. The Doctor took me ice skating on the river Thames in 1814. The last of the Great Frost Fairs," she smiled a sad smile as she finished:"And he got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge,"

"Oh," Rory managed to get out as the realization of the meaning behind River's words hit him. He regarded River thoughtfully and took a long sip from his glass before speaking.

"I remember that. I remember every single moment of that day, every little detail up to this day. I remember that exuberant joy when I found Amy and for the first time I lay my eyes on my daughter. My daughter, my baby girl. You were such a tiny little thing back then. I couldn't quite believe it. And I cried, oh I did. And I remember what it was like to get all of that ripped from me. And then I remember finding you again and how bittersweet it was. But even though our lives, your life didn't go quite the way your mother and me would have wished, I'm not quite sure I'd change a thing about it if I had the opportunity. It does kind of scare me to think like that, to think that there's a part of me that wouldn't give my daughter the best life I could if I had that opportunity. But the thing is that changing all that would mean that I'd lose you, River. My daughter, my brilliant daughter. I also remember how I came to you to Stormcage that day and how I asked you if you knew who I was. And I remember that slightly hurt expression on your face. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you. Everytime Amy and I meet you since we know that you're our daughter, you always know that we're your parents. And that makes it all so much easier. But you, you keep on meeting young Amy and me long before we knew. And I can't pretend to know what it feels like for you. But what you need to remember in moments like that is that no matter what you're our daughter. And I know that it's all rather strange with you being older than us, but despite all that we're still your mum and dad and it's okay to need your parents sometimes," he stood up and kissed her forehead: "and know that you're always welcome here and we're always here for you and you don't need to hide the damage from us. And know that your mother and me love you," he finished.

He yawned and stretched his arms: „Allright, time to sleep for me, I think, see you in the morning" he gave her one last smile before walking in the direction to Amy's and his room.

River sat a thoughtfully and sipped from her glass and at last when Rory was gone she whispered into the glass: „I love you too, dad."

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Thanks for reading! And I'll be one happy person if you find a little more time to leave a review!


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